IT for Manufacturing Executives
Siemens AG Pledges To Avoid Future Layoffs
September 22, 2010 4:25 am | News | CommentsBERLIN (AP) — Siemens AG on Wednesday extended indefinitely an agreement with its German employees in which it pledges to avoid layoffs during any future restructuring efforts. The accord with Siemens' employee council and the IG Metall industrial union was signed in July 2008 and originally was due to expire this month.
Intel Asks Customers To Buy Cheap PC, Pay For Upgrade Later
September 22, 2010 4:23 am | by Jordan Robertson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — What if you bought a house and were told there's a secret rooftop deck you'll have to pay extra to access? If you're shopping for a personal computer this holiday season, you might get that kind of proposition from an unlikely source: Intel Corp., the world's biggest maker of personal computer processors.
Unemployment Rises In 27 States
September 22, 2010 4:21 am | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — More than half of U.S. states saw their unemployment rates rise in August, the largest number in six months, as hiring weakened across the country. The jobless rate increased in 27 states last month, the Labor Department said Tuesday. It fell in 13 and was unchanged in 10 states and Washington, D.
It's Got To Be Around Here Somewhere
September 21, 2010 9:38 am | Videos | CommentsIf you shell out $800 for an iPad, it's probably a good idea to pay close attention to where it is located at all times. One Sacramento man lost track of his iPad at the airport, and it was almost stolen by an airline worker in Orlando. However, thanks to the device's tracking system, Curtis Cogdill was able to locate the iPad from almost 3,000 miles away.
Get It Made
September 21, 2010 9:34 am | by David Mantey, Editor, Production Design & Development | Articles | CommentsWe’re often too busy gawking at newly designed toys to make our jobs easier, reading marketing language filled with three-letter acronyms (permanently infused in my vocabulary) used to sell us on the latest and greatest new product. Let’s remember the foundation this industry is built upon: getting actual things made .
PLC Troubleshooting Made Easy
September 21, 2010 9:33 am | by Ron Herrera, Chief Executive Officer, Casa Herrera | Articles | CommentsThe average time to locate a blown fuse, tripped overload, tripped breaker, power supply problem, or drive fault is about two minutes from seeing the fault to having the suspect part identified. When Casa Herrera approached control system integrator MEMCO - we wanted a control system that had a cutting edge intuitive diagnostic system, got around language barriers, and was able to implement remote servicing capabilities over the Internet.
Recession May Be Over For Some, But Not Everyone
September 21, 2010 4:48 am | by Jeannine Aversa, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — It turns out the recession ended more than a year ago. Feeling better now? The panel that determines the timing of recessions concluded Monday that this one ended — technically, anyway — in June 2009, and lasted 18 months. The duration makes it the longest since World War II.
Satellite-Enabled Cell Phone Unveiled By AT&T
September 21, 2010 4:46 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — AT&T has weathered plenty of complaints about spotty cell phone coverage. On Tuesday, it will start selling its first phone that includes a backstop for AT&T's own network, over a satellite. That means blanket coverage of the U.S., even in the wilderness or hundreds of miles offshore.
Settlement With HP To Cost Hurd $14 Million
September 21, 2010 4:44 am | by Jordan Robertson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Hewlett-Packard Co.'s settlement with ousted CEO Mark Hurd clears the way for him to lead Oracle Corp. in its push to take business from his former employer. The deal announced Monday will cost Hurd $14 million in stock that was part of his HP severance package.
Former Volkswagen Exec Convicted In Corruption Scandal
September 21, 2010 4:42 am | News | CommentsBERLIN (AP) — A former personnel executive at Volkswagen AG's Skoda unit was convicted and given a suspended 10-month suspended prison sentence on Tuesday for his involvement in a corruption scandal at the German automaker. An administrative court in Wolfsburg, where VW is based, found Helmuth Schuster guilty of corruption, breach of trust and being an accessory to fraud in a case that involved an expensive sports car and a brothel visit, the German news agency DAPD reported.
Survey: Computer Buyers Happy With PC Performance
September 21, 2010 4:41 am | by Rachel Metz, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Consumers are as happy as they've ever been with their computers, and those with Apple computers are the most pleased, a new survey says. The American Customer Satisfaction Index's score for personal computers, which is part of a larger survey that also includes consumer sentiments on home electronics, totaled 78 out of 100 for the past 12 months.
Caterpillar Receives $641M Contract From Defense Department
September 21, 2010 4:35 am | News | CommentsPEORIA, Ill. (AP) — Heavy equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. said Monday that received a contract worth up to $641 million to build earth-moving tractor scrapers for the Defense Department. It's the largest single award from the department that the Peoria, Ill.-based company has received, the company said in a statement.
R&D Is A Company's Lifeblood
September 20, 2010 11:25 am | Articles | CommentsA business that people can trust, and one that enables their customers to grow more rapidly, will not only survive, but will thrive. Michelle Brand, business director of DSM Somos, a global materials supplier that provides the stereolithography resins used in 3D models and prototypes recently spoke with Production Design & Development, Manufacturing Business Technology’s sister publication, and discussed what she felt is a company’s life-blood, and how the “almighty drive to keep cost down creates an end-state detrimental to humanity.
Safety As A Core System Function
September 20, 2010 11:22 am | by George Schuster, CFSE, Senior Industry Consultant, Safety and Sustainability Solutions, Rockwell Automation | Articles | CommentsThe combination of functional safety standards, new safety technologies, and innovative design approaches are positioning safety as a core system function that can deliver significant business and economic value. Ask any food production line manager about the importance of safety, and they will likely tell you the critical role it plays in protecting personnel, reducing injuries, and meeting compliance demands.
Tech Addict Quits Cold Turkey
September 20, 2010 11:12 am | Videos | CommentsOne way to address and overcome one's insatiable need and overreliance on technology is to put down the connecting devices and take a break from them. But New York comedian Mark Malkoff took this idea to the extreme when he quit technology -- cold turkey -- for five days and quarantined himself in his apartment bathroom to prevent a tech relapse.
